The Rams on Thursday placed Puka Nacua on injured reserve, meaning the star receiver must sit out at least four games.
Nacua was injured last Sunday on the Rams’ final play of their 20-13 victory over the Washington Commanders. Nacua, who had 14 receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown, was hit while carrying the ball on a jet sweep.
The Rams have experienced a flurry of injuries, and NFL rules limit teams from activating more than eight players a year from injured reserve.
On Wednesday, McVay said Nacua would not be placed on injured reserve because of “semantics with the roster and things like that,” but that he “still is going to be out for an extended period of time.”
Last week, the Rams activated running back Ronnie Rivers and edge rusher Myles Garrett from injured reserve. The Rams also opened the 21-day window for tight end Terrance Ferguson to return from an ankle injury, and then Ferguson suffered a hamstring injury.
Defensive lineman Kobie Turner could return before the Rams play the Green Bay Packers the night before Thanksgiving, and receiver Davante Adams might return after the Rams play the Packers, McVay has said.
Nacua will be sidelined for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, and games against the Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. He will not be eligible to return until the Rams Dec. 20 game against the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams elevated receiver Brennan Presley to the roster from the practice squad and signed receiver Tyler Scott to the practice squad.
Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, Xavier Smith and rookie CJ Daniels are other receivers in the roster.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves signed relief pitcher Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract on Thursday, bringing the right-hander back to his original team after he made a promising return from Tommy John surgery this season with the Dodgers.
Over his last 14 appearances in the regular season, Phillips had 19 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. He made five scoreless appearances in the playoffs for the Dodgers, who beat the Braves in the National League Division Series before losing the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
Over the last five years, Phillips has a 2.31 ERA, the best in the NL and fourth-best in the majors among those who pitched in at least 200 games. Fellow Braves relievers Robert Suarez (2.66) and Dylan Lee (2.84) rank fourth and seventh in the NL during that span. Phillips, who joined the Dodgers in 2021, has not allowed a run in 17 career postseason appearances, winning the 2024 World Series.
He underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery in June 2025 and missed the subsequent postseason, when the Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, and the start of this season.
Phillips, 32, will make $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and $13 million in 2029. The Braves, in their announcement of the signing, said Phillips agreed to donate 1% of his salary to the team’s charitable foundation.
With closer Raisel Iglesias a free agent, the Braves were in the market for late-inning reinforcements. Phillips appeared in 31 games for the Dodgers in 2026, posting a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings with 33 strikeouts. He made his season debut right before the All-Star break.
Phillips was drafted by the Braves in the 17th round in 2015 and made his major league debut in 2018. The native of North Carolina was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for starting pitcher Kevin Gausman less than a month later.
MILWAUKEE — The Lakers won their seventh straight game. They could lose something bigger.
Star guard Austin Reaves left Wednesday’s 123-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks with a left heel injury and did not return.
Reaves, who scored 18 points with five assists and three steals, landed awkwardly on a blocked dunk attempt during the third quarter but stayed in the game despite appearing to be in discomfort on the bench during an ensuing timeout. He remained in the game for three minutes before appearing to aggravate the injury on a drive toward the basket. He asked to be substituted on the next possession.
Reaves’ initial X-rays were negative, Lakers coach JJ Redick said, and the guard, averaging a career-best 23.5 points on 50.8% shooting, will undergo further imaging. Initial tests have ruled out any potential Achilles injury, Redick said.
The Lakers finished their first extended trip of the season unscathed in the standings, improving to 11-2 and still holding the best record in the league, but had to limp across the finish line Wednesday after injuries struck.
Guard Collin Sexton received an eyebrow’s worth of stitches over his right eye after knocking heads with Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins with 6:51 remaining in the fourth quarter. Sexton’s sudden departure forced Luka Doncic to re-enter a the game, which the Lakers led by 20 points.
Two-and-a-half minutes later, Doncic turned his ankle while getting fouled by Kyle Kuzma on a long two-point jumper.
Doncic, who led the Lakers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals, grabbed at his right ankle immediately. Lakers staff members tended to him while Kuzma’s foul was reviewed for a potential flagrant, but Doncic stayed in the game to shoot the free throw. He got subbed out right after that.
Doncic said after the game he felt fine. Now he just has to wait for news on his backcourt running mate.
“We just gotta have next-man-up mentality,” Doncic said of the potential of playing without Reaves. “Obviously we lose a very, very good player. Hopefully … it’s nothing. We gotta have next-man-up mentality.”
Reaves signed a maximum contract extension this summer and was off to a career year. He is the 15th-leading scorer in the NBA, and he and Doncic (38.6 points per game) form the highest-scoring pair of teammates in the league. Reaves is also averaging 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting a career-best 41.3% from three-point range.
Reaves, who played almost an entire game on what turned into a Grade 2 oblique strain suffered last April against Oklahoma City, had missed the Lakers’ previous game against the Atlanta Hawks because of illness.
Guard Quentin Grimes missed his second consecutive game Wednesday because of a sprained finger on his right hand. Grimes was questionable for Wednesday’s game, but still had swelling, Redick said, which could have affected the right-handed guard’s shooting.
Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili delivered for the shorthanded Lakers both times, scoring 23 points of the bench for the second consecutive game Wednesday. The Georgian forward shot 11 for 35 from three-point range during the first 11 games of the season and suddenly found his shooting stroke with consecutive games shooting five for eight from deep against the Hawks and Bucks.
Mamukelashvili helped lift the Lakers through a five-day stretch that Redick said felt more like three weeks. Last Friday, the Lakers played the Portland Trail Blazers at home in an NBA Cup group game and have since climbed to the top of the NBA standings, won two games against teams in the top half of the Eastern Conference and watched both of their star guards leave a game injured.
“We’re all ready to go home,” said center Walker Kessler, who had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double in eight games. “I’ll just say that.”
Battered and bruised from a tiring trip, the Lakers return home for a brief respite. The Lakers will have multiple days of rest before their next game Sunday at Phoenix. They don’t face a team with a winning record until Nov. 27. That road game in San Antonio figures to be a marquee showdown between Western Conference title contenders.
The three pillars of Dan Hicks’ career as an NBC Sports broadcaster were golf, the Olympics and Notre Dame football, in no particular order. Yet the towering pillars in his life were his wife of 32 years, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm, and their three daughters.
Storm broke the news Thursday that Hicks died suddenly a day earlier at 64, triggering an outpouring of grief, heartfelt condolences and tributes.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness,” Storm wrote on social media. “He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable.”
May 2025 photo of Hannah Storm and Dan Hicks in New York City.
(Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
Hicks was a familiar, authoritative voice during NBC coverage of 26 years of the PGA Tour, 16 Olympics beginning with the 1992 Barcelona Games and seven seasons of Notre Dame football. He was scheduled to call Saturday’s game between the Irish and Boston College.
“Dan Hicks was an extraordinary colleague, friend and person. In his 34 years at NBC Sports, he was an exceptional storyteller and caller of games and events who elevated some of the biggest moments in sports history,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella, executive producer Sam Flood and executive producer Molly Solomon said in a statement.
“But far beyond his on-air excellence, Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence.”
Hicks anchored the network’s golf coverage of the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and the U.S. Women’s Open. He won a Sports Emmy for his work on the 2024 Paris Olympics and was the Alpine skiing play-by-play announcer at the Milan Cortina Games last winter.
His most famous call on the golf course came at the 2008 U.S. Open when Tiger Woods sunk a 12-foot putt to force a playoff at Torrey Pines. Hicks waited for the crowd to erupt then said in an even voice: “Expect anything different?”
On a recent podcast, Hicks described what he considered the most important element of broadcasting.
“I always remind myself, and I remind young broadcasters coming up, you’ve got to make the people that the audience is watching, you’ve got to make them care about those people,” he said. “And how do you do that? You’ve got to tell some personal stories. You’ve got to introduce the audience to, who is this person? Why are they here? What was their journey like to get here? And so, if you use that element, the numbers game doesn’t matter. If you care about somebody, then you are invested in the telecast.”
Hicks and Storm met in 1989 while both worked at CNN Sports Tonight, where Storm was the first female host. They began dating a year later and married Jan. 8, 1994. Storm spent a decade with Hicks at NBC covering four Olympic games and Major League Baseball before moving to CBS News for six years and to ESPN in 2008 where she currently is a Sports Center anchor.
“We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Dan Hicks, a respected voice in sports broadcasting and husband of ESPN anchor Hannah Storm,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Hannah is a cherished member of the ESPN family, and our hearts are with her, their three daughters and all who knew and loved Dan, including his NBC colleagues, during this incredibly difficult time. We extend our deepest condolences and stand alongside Hannah and her family.”
Rory McIlroy holds the 2025 Players trophy as he is interviewed by Dan Hicks after McIlroy in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
(David Cannon / Getty Images)
Storm posted a photo of her with Hicks on social media along with her statement, which concluded, “Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered.
“Our three daughters and I are heartbroken. We are grateful for the love and support surrounding our family during this incredibly difficult time. There are simply no words to express how much he will be missed.”
Hicks is survived by Storm and their daughters Hannah, Ellery and Riley.
The Chargers’ only move at the NFL trade deadline has been called off.
The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday night that a proposed trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley “will not be finalized.”
The Broncos did not explain why the deal was abandoned, but the trade was pending the results of a physical. Henley was listed on the injury report last week with a shoulder injury, but he practiced Thursday and Friday before playing in the Chargers’ 44-22 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Shortly before the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, the Chargers reached an agreement with the Broncos for Henley in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Chargers veteran safety Tony Jefferson was among the players who made it clear on social media they were not happy about the trade. After the trade fell through, Jefferson posted, “Had to get lil bro back to the bolt.”
Henley staying in L.A. is the latest twist in an 0-8 season for the Chargers that has bewildered fans and pundits alike and has left the team’s coaching staff and front office under fire. It also means the Chargers didn’t make any moves toward their future amid a lost season.
One of the Chargers’ top defensive players and a team captain, Henley has started all eight games this season. He had a season-high 10 tackles against Houston and also intercepted a pass in that game. A third-round pick in the 2023 draft, Henley has 317 tackles and five sacks over 56 career games.
Henley, 26, is in the final year of his rookie deal. It remains to be seen how the Chargers’ winless season, coupled with their efforts to trade him, will affect their chances of re-signing him.
Shane Wright, Nils Hoglander and Jayden Struble had a goal and an assist apiece, and the Nashville Predators extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.
Hoglander put Nashville ahead with a remarkable between-the-legs goal in the second period, and Justus Annunen made 27 saves to win his fourth consecutive start. Steven Stamkos also scored late in the third period.
One night after a comfortable shutout of the Kings, the Predators completed the Southern California sweep by cooling down the surging Ducks, whose five-game winning streak ended.
Cutter Gauthier extended the NHL’s most prolific seven-game goal scoring binge in more than three decades with a first-period score for the Ducks. Captain Mikael Granlund also had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who had been the first team since the 1988-89 Kings to score at least five goals in eight consecutive games.
Laurent Brossoit stopped 18 shots in his first loss in his five starts for Anaheim. The Ducks’ power play went 0 for 3 after scoring in eight consecutive games since Oct. 22.
Gauthier extended his streak in the first period, sweeping home his 16th goal in 18 games. He is the first player since 1921-22 to score 12 goals in his team’s first six games of a calendar month.
Gauthier became the first player to score 14 goals in a seven-game stretch since Mario Lemieux and Alexander Mogilny did it in the 1992-93 season. He also extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games and his point streak to a career-best nine games.
But 21 seconds later, Wright batted a loose puck to Struble for his third goal. Wright’s assist was his first point in his fifth game with the Predators, who acquired him from Seattle on Nov. 1.
Hoglander put Nashville up when he got alone in the slot and put his stick between his legs to roof an exceptional shot for his fourth goal. Wright extended the Predators’ lead with a goal set up by Hoglander and captain Roman Josi, who earned his 800th NHL point with the first of two assists.
Veteran forward Troy Terry made his season debut for the Ducks after missing 18 games while recovering from hip surgery in June.
The son of former NBA dunk contest runner-up Chris Carr, Lakers rookie Cameron Carr envisioned his first NBA points coming on a lob. When asked before the draft in April, the first-round pick knew that if not on a sky-high alley-oop his first bucket would at least be something athletic.
He now gives himself half-credit for calling his shot.
The 21-year-old Lakers guard scored his first NBA points on a fastbreak dunk Monday in Atlanta, making the most of his opportunities during the Lakers’ hot start.
Carr had two points and three rebounds in seven minutes and 19 seconds in the Lakers’ win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first significant playing time of his professional career. The Lakers, who finish a three-game, four-day road trip in Milwaukee on Wednesday, have the top record in the NBA at 10-2 with a six-game winning streak.
Carr helped extend the Lakers’ streak by bolstering a shorthanded lineup against the Hawks. The Lakers needed the rookie Monday when they were without Austin Reaves (illness) and Quentin Grimes (right finger sprain).
Three weeks into his NBA career, Carr, the 24th overall pick the Lakers traded up to acquire from the New York Knicks, said he is still nervous any time he subs into a game. Getting the first of what he hopes will be many NBA points helped settle his nerves.
“Over time it’s only going to grow, it’s only going to get better,” Carr said. “I’m only going to get more and more confident, so every time I get a chance to step out there, just show what I can do and of course show my talents through God’s work.”
The 6-foot-5 guard is a skilled scorer and an athletic marvel. He couldn’t even touch the rim when, one summer, he begged his father, who was the runner-up in the 1997 dunk contest to Kobe Bryant, to teach him to dunk. He just needed one summer to master it. Carr set a single-season sophomore scoring record at Baylor last season and his 642 points rank fifth in program history regardless of class. An efficient shooter (37.4% from three in his final college season), Carr also led Baylor with 45 blocked shots.
Now in the NBA, defense is still where Carr can improve most, Lakers coach JJ Redick said. Although Carr is a talented offensive player, it is still difficult for young players to find their rhythm with limited playing time, Redick said. The Lakers staff has encouraged Carr to take advantage of stay-ready games against coaches and make the most of G League opportunities to get more reps. Carr had 13 points and four rebounds during the Coachella Valley Lakers’ season opener on Friday.
“Just being patient, man,” Carr said of his approach to the beginning of the season, “just putting my head down, working every day, knowing that I can be the best person I can be. And when my time, my name is called, just be ready.”
Carr subbed into Monday’s game with 3:35 remaining in the first quarter. The Lakers, trailing by two, soon flipped the game with 13 unanswered points to end the quarter. A steal by Luka Doncic with 1:44 remaining fueled the streak and the star point guard threw an outlet pass to Carr in transition, who collected the ball for an emphatic two-handed dunk.
Doncic dished out another assist after the game when he rushed to secure the game ball for Carr. The superstar said he wanted the rookie to remember his first NBA bucket.
Cameron Carr said he’s going to ask everyone to sign the game ball from Monday’s game when he scored his first NBA points and keep it in a case. On Luka Doncic chasing it down for him: “That’s big time, especially coming from him. That says a lot about who he is as a person.” pic.twitter.com/eEGrD7VJYy
“That’s big time,” Carr said Wednesday of Doncic’s kind gesture. “Especially coming from him, that says a lot about who he is as a person and how he views this team.”
Redick handed the game ball to Carr in the locker room after the win as teammates cheered. Carr broke the team huddle on the word “together.” He plans to have everyone sign the ball before keeping it in a trophy case.
“There’s no price on it,” Carr said. “It’s forever.”
Lakers sign two-way center
The Lakers swapped out two-way centers Tuesday, waiving Lawson Lovering and signing Carson Cooper, the team announced. Both previously played in the Memphis Grizzlies organization and Cooper made one NBA appearance for the Grizzlies after signing a two-way deal with the team.
Cooper didn’t become a regular starter in college until his senior season, when he started all 35 games for Michigan State. The four-year Spartan averaged 11.1 points on 58.4% shooting with 7.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and one block in his final season.
Lovering, who signed a two-way deal with the Lakers on Oct. 28, appeared in Lakers blowouts against Miami and Sacramento with a rebound and a block.
Two days before playing his former team for the first time since being traded this summer, Philadelphia 76ers star Jaylen Brown told reporters he had “nothing to talk about” with ex-teammate Jayson Tatum.
Apparently he meant it — and it might have had something to do with lamb chops. Figuratively speaking.
Before Tuesday’s game at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, Tatum approached Brown and gave him a tap on the arm and a few on the chest. Brown wouldn’t even look in the direction of the player with whom he won an NBA championship, made two NBA Finals appearances and played in five Eastern Conference championship series during nine seasons as Celtics teammates.
After the game, a 123-101 Celtics win, Brown implied to reporters that he didn’t notice Tatum’s attempt to interact with him.
“I’m just focused on coming out and doing what’s best for my team,” Brown said when asked about the apparent snub. “Everything else was just — to be honest, I wasn’t paying attention. But credit to Jayson, he played well tonight. Credit to the Celtics, they executed, they shot the hell out of the ball, and they were the better team tonight.”
Tatum also dismissed the pregame non-encounter as no big deal.
“No headlines about anything like that,” Tatum told reporters. “I was just getting ready for the game, ready for jump ball, go out there and compete, have some fun and try to get a win.”
Still, things have been a bit frosty between the two players in the aftermath of a July 6 trade that sent Brown to Philadelphia — after spending his first 10 NBA seasons in Boston — in exchange for Paul George, two first-round draft picks and two second-round picks.
Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown share a laugh during a 2025 game against the New York Knicks in Boston.
(Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
In October, Bleacher Report posted a clip on Instagram of Tatum saying he was “caught off guard” by the trade. Brown responded in the comment section of that post with a blue hat emoji, which is often used to represent the word “cap” when being used as slang for “lie.”
Asked about the situation during an Oct. 23 news conference, Tatum insisted “there’s no beef” between the two players.
A day later, Brown agreed — kind of.
“I think he’s right. There’s no beef,” Brown told reporters. “Jason comes from a wonderful family. We’ve accomplished some great things. He’s a hell of a basketball player. He’s got a great PR team. There’s no beef but, you know, it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy, you know what I mean? He should stay ready at all times.”
Asked why he would say that, Brown responded: “Just, you know, that’s what it is. No beef. It should never ever be that. It’s just basketball. We’re both blessed, but it might be a little lamb chop. We’ll be all right.”
Brown was then asked if he had been suggesting that Tatum was being untruthful about the trade situation.
“Hey, look, like I said, it’s no beef,” Brown said. “The PR and all that type stuff is it is what it is, but I think we’re just both focused on what’s in front of us.”
George was the leading scorer in Tuesday’s game, with 36 points, while Tatum added 21 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Brown netted 13 points, his lowest output in 11 games with the 76ers.
“I was looking forward to this,” Brown said after the game. “I was looking forward to playing well, but you know, s— happens. You just get ready for the next one, I guess.”
Looking like two giant rhinos splashing in water and wrestling for superiority, 7-foot-5 Cherif Millogo is getting pushed by 7-foot Yann Kamagate near the basket as each battles to establish position in the low post area during a practice drill.
Kamagate is playing defense. Millogo wants to create a passing lane to receive the ball. The physicality is surprising coming from two teammates at St. Francis High.
This is King Kong vs. Godzilla, with each wearing size-17 basketball shoes.
“I love it because you need to be like this in practice or in a game,” said Millogo, who committed to Kentucky last week. “So that’s how we practice here. That’s the game of basketball. It’s physical, it’s tough.”
Said Kamagate: “I don’t want him to have easy baskets. So I got to play harder with him. I’m making him better playing great defense.”
Imagine what St. Francis will look like when Millogo and Kamagate aren’t practicing against each other. It’s happening next week. Both are from Burkina Faso in West Africa. Millogo played for the Golden Knights last season while Kamagate sat on the bench ineligible.
They are going to be the Mission League’s best twin towers since the days of the Collins twins, Jason and Jarron, playing for Harvard-Westlake in the 1990s.
If St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson wants to be nasty to opponents, he’ll unleash 6-10 Hermann Kone on the court at the same time. Kone is roommates with Millogo and Kamagate, all of whom live with former UCLA and NBA player Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who came from Cameroon.
How opponents deal with St. Francis’ size advantage will be one of the most intriguing storylines for the 2026-27 high school basketball season. St. Francis has been invited to travel to Illinois, Massachusetts and Oregon for tournaments and showcases, all with the idea the twin towers are going to attract fan interest.
Wolfson is preparing for all kinds of strategy scenarios, from full-court presses to teams relying on threes to trapping defenses.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Wolfson said. “It’s fun for our coaches scheming for and scheming against.”
St. Francis’ most memorable game last season involved Sherman Oaks Notre Dame using several players taking turns guarding Millogo, who became so frustrated when fouls weren’t called that he ended up fouling out.
“You saw what other schools do to us. If the other teams are going to be physical, we have to be physical,” Wolfson said of the lesson learned.
As for the offense, Millogo said the strategy is, “One’s low, one’s high. I mean that’s the game plan.”
Asked if they like each other, Millogo said, “I mean, yeah, that’s my brother.”
St. Francis started keeping track of dunks last season, so expect that to continue, and the Golden Knights figure to attract and entertain fans with lots of dunks from their big men.
The Mission League is filled with top coaches, which is why St. Francis’ big men will face plenty of challenges in January when league play begins.
It’s going to be another long season full of twists and changes. Don’t expect to identify a No. 1 team until the sit-out period ends on Christmas day and teams gain access to their full group of transfer students.
The team that will improve the most after sit-out transfers become eligible is Mater Dei, which gains 6-8 Ryan Doane from JSerra and 6-11 Ender Berg from Legacy Christian. Gary McKnight is the winningest coach in California history and should become the winningest coach in the nation this season. He’s 18 wins away.
In the City Section, it’s Palisades against everyone else. The Dolphins get to test themselves early with a Nov. 21 game against St. Francis. They want to do more than repeat as City Open Division champions.
DESCRIBED as “ruthless, calculated and manipulative”, the depravity of Russell Brand has appalled the nation as every chilling detail of his sex attacks played out in court.
By his own admission, he was a “hedonist” and “an exploiter of women” who used his celebrity status and every emotional tool in his arsenal to achieve what he considered to be “my birthright” – having an “orgasm”.
Russell Brand rose to fame on Big Brother’s Big Mouth and MTV showsSource: RexHe was jailed for nearly 11 years this week after being found guilty of three sexual assaults and one rapeSource: GettyBrand spent two years married to Katy Perry until 2012Source: GettyDuring their romance, Brand was called ‘cruel’ for sharing an unflattering photo of Perry onlineSource: Twitter
Brand, who was jailed for 10 years and six months this week, said he had “dedicated a lot of [his] life” to “beyond reckless philandering” – acts that saw him be “persuasive, seductive, begging and flirting” and even pretend to be gay to sleep with women.
It has been speculated that even his romances may have had a calculated nature behind them – apparently benefiting his career, status, wealth or a combination of them all.
Most notable in this theory is his relationship with Katy Perry. Before dating and then marrying the popstar, all within the space of 10 months, an ex-girlfriend claimed Brand told her his aim was to find a world-famous girlfriend in order to make him a global superstar.
At the time in 2010, Brand was famous in the UK for his stand-up specials, hosting Celebrity Big Brother spin-off Big Mouth and had parodied himself in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him To The Greek and St Trinian’s.
But the comedian was barely known stateside and no doubt, a relationship with Perry – who was quickly becoming the world’s most famous popstar thanks to mega hits I Kissed a Girl, Hot N Cold and Teenage Dream – would help him to achieve that.
Brand himself admitted that he “pushed to get married early” due to feeling “inadequate and insecure” and according to Perry, he longed to be “an equal” both in their relationship and to be seen as one by the outside world.
But this determination to be considered on the same level manifested itself in a dark way. It led him to “mock her and be mean behind her back,” according to one source, who claimed he “just couldn’t cope with her star eclipsing his”.
It also led him to share a deliberately unflattering, make-up free photo of Perry to his 1.8million followers on Twitter, now known as X, in 2010 – an act decreed as “cruel”, “mean” and “disrespectful” by fans.
While Brand deleted the snap within 48 minutes of posting, it had already gone viral and exposed his wife to bile from online trolls across the globe, who eagerly branded her “ugly” among other hurtful comments.
A source who knew the couple told The Times that Brand “found himself resenting her success” while “her career rocketed” and his was waning – most notably after his filmArthur, which he had been “given full rein on”, flopped at the Box Office in 2011.
Brand would later admit he “didn’t handle [their] marriage very well” due to his insecurity and loneliness while Perry was “pursuing her dream of … becoming the world’s most famous pop star”. They divorced in 2012.
Yet the romance with Perry wasn’t the only time Brand has faced claims of having weaponised his love life for fame and financial gain.
Back in 2006, Brand’s career was still in its early days. He was a BBCRadio host, presenter on Big Brother Efourum – later known as Big Mouth – and had appeared on shows like Richard & Judy, Kings of Comedy and The Bill.
That soon changed after he was photographed with world-renowned supermodel Kate Moss following a one night stand and the subsequent war of words in the love triangle involving them and Libertines frontman Pete Doherty.
The publicity from those snaps coupled with the attention garnered from fuming Doherty calling him a “hairy t***” and “no replacement”, gave Brand’s star a huge bump.
A year on from their romp, Brand had made a whopping 19 appearances on TV shows including on The Royal Variety Performance, The Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and Soccer AM.
He had also presented The BRIT Awards and released his first memoir My Booky Wook.
Brand would also capitalise from the Moss tryst by boasting about it in his second autobiography, My Booky Wook 2, where he described Moss as like “an angel of my own devising”.
Prior to those feats, Brand seemed keen to distance himself from bad boy, lothario image and paint himself in a more wholesome light by claiming he was ready for lasting love.
He told the Mirror in 2006 about having sworn off sex and his master plan: “I’d like to settle down and have children.”
Yet at the same time, Brand – who claimed to have deleted 784 numbers from his phone to avoid temptation – ferociously flirted with his female interviewer.
When asked how long his abstinence, then at 22 days, would last, he replied: “Is that an offer? Because it’s incredibly indiscreet!”
Brand would later tell her: “You’re quite attractive and it’s making me think I should maybe face the other way a bit more.
“I think it’s the tights, your hair, the cleavage, the boots. And you’re all cute and blushy and Northern and sweet.”
Brand would tell her “blushing is an indication of sexual availability” and quizzed her about cheating multiple times, including asking: “Are you faithful at the minute?”
That was the same year, that Brand was accused of drugging and raping a 20-year-old student at an Edinburgh flat he was renting.
Brand denied any knowledge of the 2006 claims and, later, his friend Trevor Lock was charged with rape. The case was later dropped by police and prosecutors.
Russell Brand admitted that he dedicated a lot of his life to ‘beyond reckless philandering’Source: E4He star rose after being caught in a love triangle with Kate Moss and singer Pete DohertySource: Getty – Contributor
‘Constant reinvention’ helps manipulators like Brand ‘escape from their previous crimes’
PSYCHOTHERAPIST Susie Masterson warns The Sun that the type of behaviour displayed by Russell Brand fits into the predators’ playbook:
As a trauma informed therapist, having trained and worked for Rape Crisis, I’ve observed the patterns of behaviour exhibited by predators such as Russell Brand for over a decade.
Ultimately, these behaviours stem from entitlement. In my upcoming book, Female Loading: How To Survive And Thrive In The Age Of Outrage, I explore the psychology of entitlement in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Epstein files showed us the extent of entitlement across men in positions of power. It wasn’t only presidents and princes, the extensive list also included financiers and academics.
What these men all have in common is authority.
Authority leads to power and control over the actions of others. Over time, compliance from others reinforces the belief of superior competence and worth. As a result, the privileges, exceptions and special treatment that initially came as external perks of the job, become internalised as personal rights.
Personal rights often manifest as entitlement to rewards including access to financial resources and career advancement, but also to relationships and sex.
Manipulators and predators require constant affirmation, validation and compliance from others. In psychoanalytic theory this is called ‘narcissistic supply’. To maintain this supply over a period of time, usually requires reinvention. When one well runs dry, the predator needs to find a new source of attention.
The pivot to wellness, spirituality, or anti-establishment rhetoric is rarely accidental – these communities are often deeply trusting, seek healing, and value emotional openness, making them uniquely vulnerable to charismatic, confident newcomers claiming to hold hidden truths.
Constant reinvention also helps manipulators minimise their previous actions, by compartmentalising it to a previous era.
The next known relationship was with Perry, who he spent two years married to before dumping her and demanding a divorce via text message in 2012.
A source, who knew the couple, claimed the split followed his struggles living stateside and dealing with “her star eclipsing his”.
They added: “He was becoming more disillusioned spending time in Hollywood and the failure of Arthur – a project he had been given full rein on.”
That year Brand returned to the UK and appeared to be attempting to reestablish himself as a British icon, with performances including at the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
He appeared in a BBC documentary about substance abuse and addiction – which drew heavily from heroin and sex addictions, made a comeback comedy tour called Only Joking and even briefly dated Spice Girl Geri Horner.
The romance was over in less than two weeks but was so intense that the singer and Brand apparently spent three days looking at houses together in North Devon, according to a source.
At the time of the split, Horner said: “It’s been a whirlwind. All I want is to be in a loving relationship. Is he my ideal man? I’m choosy. I want someone who’s trustworthy, sweet and kind.”
By 2014, Brand had reinvented himself again as an activist – following a scandal-hit relationship with Jemima Goldsmith, the then-editor of political magazine The Spectator.
Post Brand’s conviction, she claimed to have suffered “violence, coercive control and abuse” during their year-long romance. She has not reported those claims to the police.
Their split followed an alleged 2014 “violent incident”, which ended with her having to “call the police to have him removed from my house”.
Prior to the break up, there was more trouble linked to a masseuse hired by Brand, who claimed she was treated “like a prostitute” and was “the victim of wrongful and criminal conduct” – which the couple denied.
The case was investigated by police but no charges were brought. Masseuse Szilvia Berki was taken to the High Court, where she had no legal representation and would be bankrupted by the £50,000 legal costs she was forced to pay.
She was subjected to a type of gagging order called an anti-harassment injunction, which prevented her from speaking about the case.
While the case was all unfolding, Brand was painting himself as a man of the people and campaigner.
He released a book titled Revolution, which criticised capitalism and claimed democracy was broken.
The comedian briefly dated Geri Horner after they met at the London 2012 Olympics Opening CeremonySource: TwitterBrand’s ex Jemima Goldsmith claimed she endured ‘violence, coercive control and abuse’ in their relationshipSource: Getty
He joined housing and anti-gentrification protests and a group of young mothers who refused to leave their homes after being issued with eviction notices after funding was cut at their hostels.
Then in 2015, when the case with masseuse Berki was settled, he started dating future wife Laura for a second time – a woman he married two years later and had three kids with.
Recalling how Brand came back into her life, Laura told Grazia in 2020: “My ex had literally moved out of our flat that day, and I was heartbroken, with mascara running down my face
“A friend dragged me out on a walk to the canal in east London, where I’d never been in my life, and as we came on to the footpath, Russell was standing there, like he’d organised it.”
Laura would remain a bedrock who has stood by him through the claims of abuse in Channel 4’s Dispatches in September 2023 and the many police interviews that would follow.
In the lead up to those years, Brand had already started to raise doubts about the government, police and media online.
He began sharing dangerous myths that the Covid-19 jabs posed a risk to health and peddled anti-establishment narratives.
Six months after the documentary came out, Brand was baptised in the River Thames by TV adventurer Bear Grylls in a Christian rebrand that would endear him to religious worshippers in America and the UK.
Since then Brand has peddled false theories about the ‘mainstream media’, claimed those who spoke out are often silenced and pushed extreme far right theories.
It led to fans championing his cause outside of Southwark Crown Court throughout his trial – including one group with a banner that read: “Christ was crucified for telling the truth, Russell is the truth”.
Those worshippers will likely continue to cast doubt upon the three sexual assault and one rape convictions that a jury found Brand guilty of last week.
But for all of the many faces adorned by Russell Brand, it was not enough to prevent his past from catching up with him.
Yesterday, he was sentenced to nearly 11 years imprisonment and will have to serve at least seven years before he can be considered for parole.
Upon his release, Brand will no doubt emerge as another new man and with another grand plan to rise to fame once more.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS VOLLEYBALL CIF SOCAL REGIONALS TUESDAY’S RESULTS First Round
DIVISION I #1 Harvard-Westlake d. #16 Francis Parker, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19 #8 San Juan Hills d. #9 Newport Harbor, 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19 #5 Murrieta Valley d. #12 Corona Centennial, 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 27-25, 15-12 #4 Redondo Union d. #13 Corona del Mar, 25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23 #14 Coronado d. #3 Long Beach Poly, 19-25, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22, 15-11 #11 Sherman Oaks Notre Dame d. #6 Frontier, 15-25, 25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 15-13 #7 San Luis Obispo d. #10 Orange Lutheran, 21-25, 21-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-12 #15 Bishop’s d. #2 Marymount, 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 22-25, 15-13
DIVISION II #16 Mission College Prep d. #1 Bakersfield Centennial, 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 15-11 #8 Bakersfield Liberty d. #9 Cerritos Valley Christian, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23 #5 Santa Fe Christian d. #12 Arroyo Grande, 25-18, 20-25, 25-17, 26-28, 17-15 #13 Vista Murrieta d. #4 La Jolla Country Day, 25-17, 12-25, 25-18, 25-30 #14 Glendora d. #3 San Dieguito Academy, 19-20, 27-25, 25-14, 20-25, 19-17 #6 Newbury Park d. #11 Mission Vista, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 #10 Westview d. #7 Crescenta Valley, 25-23, 25-15, 25-23 #2 North County San Marcos d. #15 Portola, 25-13, 25-18, 25-23
DIVISION III #1 Santa Barbara d. #16 Villa Park, 25-20, 25-16, 22-25, 25-15 #9 Steele Canyon d. #8 Venice, 25-15, 25-22, 14-25, 23-25, 15-5 #5 Woodland Hills Taft d. #12 Oceanside, 21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11 #4 Helix d. #13 Palisades, 25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 25-23 #3 Sage Creek d. #14 La Serna, 25-11, 25-21, 25-23 #6 Cleveland d. #11 El Toro, 19-25, 25-12, 28-26, 25-19 #10 Westridge d. #7 Atascadero, 27-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13 #2 Point Loma d. #15 Winchester Liberty, 25-16, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21
DIVISION IV #1 El Camino Real, bye #8 Placentia Valencia d. #9 Sherman Oaks CES, 25-21, 25-19, 25-21 #5 Chatsworth d. #12 Tri-City Christian, 26-24, 25-14, 25-15 #4 Granada Hills d. #13 Tustin, 28-26, 23-25, 16-25, 25-14, 15-11 #3 Castaic d. #14 San Pedro, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20 #11 Fullerton d. #5 Eagle Rock, 3-1 #7 Capistrano Valley d. #10 Granada Hills Kennedy, 25-10, 25-16, 20-25, 25-19 #2 Lakewood d. #15 Northview, 26-24, 25-22, 25-14
DIVISION V #1 Rio Mesa, bye #8 San Diego Hoover d. #9 Narbonne, 27-25, 25-11, 25-23 #5 Bakersfield North d. #12 San Fernando Arroyo, 3-0 #4 Strathmore d. #13 El Monte Arroyo, 25-15, 25-10, 25-13 #3 Desert Christian Academy d. #14 Tarbut V’ Torah, 25-11, 25-17, 25-15 #6 Maywood CES d. #11 Orange, 3-0 #7 Rancho Mirage d. #10 Huntington Park, 25-15, 25-22, 25-11 #2 San Gabriel Academy d. #15 La Quinta, 25-22, 25-21, 14-25, 25-19
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE First Round
OPEN DIVISION #8 Los Alamitos at #1 Mater Dei #5 Mira Costa at #4 San Diego Cathedral #6 Santa Margarita at #3 Torrey Pines #7 Oaks Christian at #2 Sierra Canyon
Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions I-V) Nov. 12 at higher seeds; Semifinals (all divisions) Nov. 14 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Nov. 17 at higher seeds; State Finals Nov. 20 at Santiago College.
PHOENIX — Jordan Goodwin scored 18 points in his return from a calf injury, Devin Booker added 17 and the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Clippers 133-110 on Tuesday night.
Phoenix shot 22 of 43 (51%) from three-point range and had seven players score in double digits, including five who came off the bench. Luke Kennard had 14 points, Jalen Green scored 13 and Collin Gillespie added 12 points and eight assists while Khaman Maluach contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Suns had a 17-point halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 91-59 with four minutes left in the third quarter. They have a 3-2 record so far on their season-long, seven-game homestand.
Goodwin — who signed a $19 million, three-year deal to return to the Suns during the offseason — made six of seven shots from beyond the arc in just 14 minutes. He missed the last three games.
The Clippers were coming off their first win in more than two weeks, but have now lost eight of their last nine games. Rui Hachimura, Baba Miller and Darius Garland all scored 13 points while Max Strus had 12.
Gillespie hit a three-pointer from 39 feet just before the halftime buzzer to give the Suns a 64-47 lead. Phoenix made 11 of 22 (50%) shots from beyond the arc before the break.
Bob Boone, a four-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner who spent much of his career with the Angels, has died, his son Bret announced Tuesday via social media. He was 78. No cause of death was shared.
The sturdy catcher was the middle man in one of the most accomplished three-generation Major League Baseball families. He caught more games than all but two catchers in history.
Boone’s father, Ray, and his sons Aaron and Bret also enjoyed successful playing careers. But Bob’s stood out primarily because he was as durable as a cast-iron skillet, catching 2,225 games in 19 seasons.
He spent seven seasons in the 1980s with the Angels, whose manager Gene Mauch marveled after Boone led the American League by catching 147 games at age 37 in 1985, the fourth of five consecutive years he did so.
“Bob Boone is a freak,” Mauch said told The Times the following spring. “I never dreamed he’d catch that many games. A hundred and fifty games is not realistic for a 38-year-old catcher; it’s ridiculous. Except it’s not ridiculous to Bob Boone. I quit being surprised by Bob Boone a long time ago. I’ve never known anyone so mentally tough and impervious to pain.”
Catcher Bob Boone of the Angels argues with plate umpire Tim Tschida, who had just thrown him out of the game against the Mariners in Seattle on Aug. 7, 1987.
(Gary Stewart/AP)
Once Boone punched the clock, he punched out baserunners, throwing out a league-leading 41.6% of base stealers in 1985, one of three times he did so with the Angels. And he seemed to improve with age. All seven of Boone’s Gold Gloves came after he turned 30, including four in a row from ages 38 to 41.
“Boone’s leadership, exceptional defense and knowledge of the game made him an invaluable presence behind the plate and helped the Angels win two division titles,” the team said Tuesday in a statement. “His impact on our pitchers and the example he set for his teammates are lasting parts of his legacy with our franchise.”
When Boone retired at age 42 in 1990, he had caught more games than anyone in major league history: 2,225. Three years later, Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk edged him by one. Another Hall of Famer, Ivan Rodriguez, blew past both of them, retiring in 2011 with 2,427 games caught.
No active catcher is anywhere close to passing those three. Salvador Perez (1,427), J.T. Realmuto (1,401) and Christian Vasquez (1,005) are the only ones with more than 1,000 games caught, and all three will begin next season at age 36.
“The roster lists me as the catcher,” Boone told The Times in 1986. “If you’re the catcher, you catch. Every day. I don’t think catching is much more demanding than any other position. It’s not any more difficult than, say, right fielder or third baseman. If they’re in the lineup every day, why shouldn’t I?”
Robert Raymond Boone was born Nov. 19, 1947, in San Diego, where he raised his family. He was the fifth great-grandson of famed frontiersman Daniel Boone.
Boone grew up on a baseball field. His father was an infielder who broke into the big leagues in 1948 after three years of military service during World War II and three years in the minors. Bob was born a year before his dad made his debut with Cleveland. Ray played 13 seasons for six teams, batting .275 with 151 home runs.
Coach Bob Boone of the Cincinnati Reds watches batting practice with his son Bret, a Reds second baseman, before a 1994 game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
(George Gojkovich / Getty Images)
A special family moment came at the 2003 All-Star Game when Ray and Bob attended because Aaron and Bret were playing. Already the first family to have three generations play in the majors, they became the first and only family to have all each generation participate in the All-Star Game.
“Anybody that’s not proud in this situation,” Ray Boone said at the time, “there’s something wrong with them.”
Bob Boone was a sixth-round pick of Philadelphia in 1969 out of Stanford, where he graduated with a degree in psychology. He transitioned from third base to catcher, made his MLB debut in 1972 and became the Phillies’ starting catcher the next season, a position he held until they traded him to the Angels 10 years later. Boone helped Philadelphia win the 1980 World Series.
“Bob was an incredible player, teammate and family man,” the Phillies said in a statement. “He embodied everything we believe exemplary athletes should represent, both on and off the field. We were proud to have him as part of the Phillies family during one of the most historic runs in team history. His impact on our organization, his teammates, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him will never be forgotten.”
Boone played in seven postseasons with the Phillies and Angels, hitting .311 with two home runs. He finished his career with a .254 batting average, 105 home runs and 826 runs batted in. He also made a mark as the MLB players union’s National League player representative during a midseason strike in 1981.
After retiring, Boone seemed a natural to become a manager. When Orlando attempted to join the National League as an expansion team, Bob was set to lead the team. Miami and Denver got the franchises, however, and Boone didn’t get a chance to manage until 1995 when he led Kansas City.
He was fired midway through his third season and lasted another 2½ seasons managing Cincinnati from 2001-03, a stint in which he managed his son Aaron, who in turn has been manager of the New York Yankees the last nine seasons.
Boone spent several years as an assistant general manager and vice president for player development with Washington. He was part of the front office in 2019 when the Nationals won their only World Series championship.
Boone’s son Bret said on Facebook, “With a heavy heart I’m here to confirm the passing of my dad today. He was a man of great integrity. He was a great dad, husband, and patriarch. It was a privilege to call him my father. Baseball lost a great one today.”
High-profile trades before the season showed their fans and the rest of the NFL that with Super Bowl LXI to be played at SoFi Stadium, the Rams were unquestionably all in.
But as the league’s trade deadline came and went Tuesday, the injury-ravaged Rams made only one minor move, essentially saying they’ll handle this all internally.
While the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers added veteran receiver Keenan Allen, the Rams — with Davante Adams on injured reserve and Puka Nacua expected to be sidelined for an extended period — brought back receiver Xavier Smith, whom they released in October.
That is a far cry from moves the Rams made in previous Super Bowl seasons. In 2018, they traded for edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. In 2021, they signed free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and traded for edge rusher Von Miller.
Coach Sean McVay indicated the last few weeks that the Rams were unlikely to be active at the deadline.
But that was before last Sunday, when Nacua suffered knee and toe injuries that are expected to sideline the All-Pro receiver for several weeks. The Rams were already thin at receiver after Adams suffered a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Week 7.
“You have to look at all avenues to try to be able to solve some of the issues or situations or scenarios that have come up,” McVay said Monday when asked if the Rams might pursue a receiver. “A lot of new things occur on a daily basis, so I would never rule it out.”
Allen and Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts and Brian Thomas Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars were thought to be potential targets for the Rams.
Rams general manager Les Snead.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
But the Jaguars ultimately took Thomas off the market. The 49ers, with receiver depth problems of their own, added Allen, and the Kansas City Chiefs traded for Downs.
The 49ers’ move came after they had traded for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner ahead of the deadline. And the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks had bolstered their roster by trading for All-Pro offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.
Barring the Rams signing a free agent — the Minnesota Vikings released Beckham after the deadline and signed him to their practice squad — they will go into Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with a receiver corps that includes Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell, rookie CJ Daniels and Smith. The Rams re-signed Smith from the 49ers’ practice squad after placing Jordan Whittington on injured reserve.
The Rams are 5-4 and have won three games in a row. But according to ESPN, they have the league’s toughest remaining schedule.
After playing at the Cardinals, the Rams will have what is essentially a mini-bye before playing the Green Bay Packers at SoFi Stadium on the night before Thanksgiving.
Then they play the Chiefs, at the 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys and games against the Seahawks sandwiched around a game at Tampa Bay.
Defensive lineman Kobie Turner is expected to return against the Packers, and Adams, Nacua, tight end Terrance Ferguson and offensive lineman Steve Avila will be available at some point. But whether the Rams can remain in contention for a playoff spot is the all-encompassing question.
The Chargers traded linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos on Tuesday for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick, according to a person with knowledge of the deal not authorized to speak publicly.
Henley, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, was dealt just before the NFL’s 1 p.m. PST trade deadline. He has been a defensive fixture for the Chargers, who at 0-8 are the NFL’s only winless team.
The Chargers had indicated that they were not planning any dramatic moves at the deadline, such as trading defensive lineman Khalil Mack, injured safety Derwin James Jr. or receiver Ladd McConkey.
Henley presumably will add depth behind Denver starting inside linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad. The Broncos do not have a history of trades at the deadline under coach Sean Payton.
Henley started all eight games this season and collected 51 tackles, including a season-high 10 on Sunday against Houston. He also intercepted a pass in that game.
He played his best game of last season despite battling the flu. In a Monday night game at Las Vegas, he had 10 tackles, a sack, an interception, two tackles for loss and two passes defensed.
He has played through heartache too. Last season, his older brother, Jabari Henley, 34, was shot and killed outside a smoke shop in South Los Angeles on Halloween night. Henley learned of his brother’s death on Sunday morning, hours before the Chargers played the Tennessee Titans in Nashville.
Henley started that game, a 27-20 Chargers win, and contributed a sack. After the game, he called it “the worst year of my life.”
Henley joins a 7-2 Broncos team that’s atop the AFC West and has won five in a row, the NFL’s longest winning streak. Defense has been a strength of the franchise.
The Broncos play host to the Chargers in the teams’ regular-season finale.
Kirk Cousins is returning to the Minnesota Vikings more than two years after the team allowed the veteran quarterback to leave as a free agent.
The Vikings acquired Cousins from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday before the NFL’s 1 p.m. PST trade deadline in exchange for a third-round draft pick in 2027, according to multiple media outlets.
A 15-year player, Cousins played for the Vikings from 2019-2023, going 50-37-1 as their starting quarterback and making three Pro Bowls during that span. After two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Cousins has played well for Las Vegas this season, completing 64% of his passes for 2,340 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
After dropping to 4-5, however, the Raiders appear ready to move on with 2026 No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback.
The Vikings are 6-2 this season behind a stellar defense that is giving up 14.5 points (best in the NFL) and 280 yards (second to the Seattle Seahawks) a game. Minnesota’s defense is also tied with that of the Houston Texans for most sacks (29) with each team having played eight games.
Meanwhile, the Vikings offense is one of the league’s worst, averaging just 266.8 yards (31st) and 160.8 passing yards (31st) a game.
The trade comes a day after a disastrous “Monday Night Football” outing by backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who completed eight of 25 passes for 81 yards with three turnovers while starting for the injured Kyler Murray in a 23-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Minnesota selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason.
Sam Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record that year, but he left as a free agent the following offseason and won Super Bowl LX with the Seattle Seahawks in February.
Last season, McCarthy started 10 games for Minnesota, with Wentz getting five starts and Max Brosmer two. This past offseason, the Vikings signed former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Murray as their starter and kept Wentz as his backup. McCarthy was traded to the New York Giants in late September.
Judy Collins has been taking photos of Van Nuys football players and other teams free of charge during the past 28 years.
Collins, a grandmother whose two sons graduated from Van Nuys, enjoyed helping capture key moments for families for decades until she was informed Friday she could no longer take photographs despite completing an extension application that complied with Los Angeles Unified School District volunteer policies.
Football coach Ken Osario played with one of Collins’ sons years ago at Van Nuys and tried to figure out what was wrong when he noticed Collins was instructed to leave her usual post earlier this season. Osario and the school’s athletic director Dion Coley invited her to apply to be a voluntary coach to satisfy any concerns about her presence on the football sidelines.
She paid $80 and passed a CPR class and $20 for a TB screening. She got finger printed and went through a background check. She originally was going to pay several hundred dollars for a vendor’s license even though she gives away her photos for free, the group decided becoming a voluntary coach would be the quicker way to satisfy LAUSD requirements.
After completing all the paper work, she was told assistant principal in charge of athletics, Martin Tate, had to meet her. Collins said she attempted multiple times to reach the assistant principal via phone or in person at a game. She could not find him.
Collins said she went to the team’s game on Friday and started taking photos when Tate confronted her and asked her to leave the field. Asked why, Collins said Tate told her, “I’m just following the principal’s order.”
The principal is on administrative leave, a point Collins noted to Tate, but it did not change his instruction to leave.
Collins proceeded to walk to the visitor’s side and sat by a bench taking photos until Tate approached her at halftime and asked her to leave.
Los Angeles Unified School District’s communication office did not respond to a request for comment.
Collins said she had never had issues taking photos since she started until this year.
Osario said she is a “very sweet lady who has been supporting Van Nuys for years.”
The Van Nuys athletic director confirmed Collins completed the volunteer coach application and has begun taking photos for Panorama High while she waits to learn whether she’ll be allowed to resume her work at Van Nuys.
Darius Garland had 24 points and 10 assists, Brook Lopez added 20 points and the Clippers ended a seven-game losing streak with a 139-123 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night.
Gradey Dick and rookie Keaton Wagler each scored 15 points and Rui Hachimura added 14 as the Clippers won for the first time since getting past the Sacramento Kings in the season opener.
The Clippers went on a 15-6 run to open the fourth quarter to take control with a 117-101 lead and finished off the victory after failing to hold on to double-digit fourth-quarter leads in their previous two games.
Trey Murphy III scored 26 points, while Zion Williamson and Jeremiah Fears each added 25 as the Pelicans lost their second consecutive game after a four-game winning streak. Saddiq Bey had 13 points for New Orleans, which was playing the opener of a two-game California trip.
The Pelicans shot 50.6% from the floor while getting held to 52 points in the paint after entering the with 61.6 per game in that department to lead the NBA.
The Clippers took a 124-107 lead with 4:56 remaining on three free throws from Garland and cruised to the victory from there with a season high in points. They shot a season-best 54.8% from the field.
The Clippers led 67-60 at halftime after shooting 52.3% from the field and getting 14 points from Garland, while Williamson had 17 points for the Pelicans. New Orleans opened the second half on an 18-10 run to take their first lead since the opening minute at 78-77.
The Clippers were without center Isaiah Jackson (groin), as well as former Pelicans star Brandon Ingram (heel), who is close to his debut for his new team.
